The exhibition proposal titled “Jacone’s Polyphony”, submitted by curators Feng Yan and Ng Sio Ieng, and jointly created by Macau artists Fok Hoi Seng, O Chi Wai and Lei Fung Ieng, has been selected to represent Macau at the Venice Biennale in Italy in May next year, Macau’s Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) announced earlier this week.
The said proposal was selected for the “61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia – Collateral Event from Macao, China”, organised by the Macao Museum of Art (MAM), which is under IC.
The culture bureau earlier this year invited local art curators or groups to submit proposals for the event, receiving a total of six proposals, with the judging panel comprising renowned independent art curator and critic Feng Boyi, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts Vice Principal Hu Bin and IC representative Tong Chong.
Jacone’s Polyphony revolves around the creative trajectory and cultural integration and exploration of Qing Dynasty-era Chinese artist and Christian poet-turned-Jesuit missionary priest Wu Li, known in Portuguese as Jacone, who studied theology in Macau in the 1680s.
With polyphone as the narrative logic, the selected work creates a multicultural dialogue across time and space between history and contemporary times.
Furthermore, in line with the upcoming Venice Biennale’s theme of “In Minor Keys”, it explores the flow and integration of culture, faith and spirit in the context of globalisation, while also exploring the path to cross-cultural understanding and self-dialogue as well as maintaining cultural uniqueness, showcasing Macau’s unique DNA as an important node for cultural exchange between China and the West, according to IC.
The “International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia” was established in 1895, making it the world’s largest and oldest international contemporary art event. MAM has actively participated in the event since 2007. – GNM
Image: IC
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